Govt. say PM's security under threat after Kadirgamar assassination

Minister of Ports and Aviation Mangala Samaraweera expressed government’s concern when representatives of political parties gathered at PM’s residence Temple Trees on Sunday to condemn the killing.

The main opposition United National Party (UNP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) were the noticeable absentees in the meeting.

Minister Samaraweera commenting on the assassination accused an English weekly newspaper for having published details of minister Kadirgamar’s private residence putting his security under threat.

'Grand plan'

Now the same newspaper, minister Samaraweera said, is running a campaign against the PM, who was recently nominated as ruling party’s presidential candidate.

Kadirgamar's killers wanted to stop his journey says the JVP

“Is this also part of a grand plan?” the minister queried.

PM Rajapakse appealed all Sri Lankans to join with the government to prevent any such attacks in the future.

He said the government was aware that anybody supports peace in Sri Lanka would not condone such brutal acts.

Representatives from the government’s former coalition partner Peoples’ Liberation Front (JVP), Buddhist monk-led Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and the Ealam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) attended the meeting.

JVP’s parliamentary group leader Wimal Weerawansa said minister Kadirgamar was assassinated as the assailants knew his ‘journey would not have stopped otherwise.’

BBC criticised

The late minister scarified his life for the country, Weerawansa said, though he could have a luxury life if not entered politics.

Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the BBC tried to draw a bleak picture of the late minister.

BBC going only by the information fed to them by the merchants of peace in Colombo Minister Samaraweera

According to BBC Television, minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was anti-peace and not popular among Tamils, he said.

“They are going only by the information fed to them by the merchants of peace in Colombo. (These are) the NGOs backed by the LTTE.”

The government also refused to rule whether the Tamil Tigers will be banned after the assassination.

Leader of the House and Health minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said : “The political decisions of the is nature will be taken at the proper time considering the circumstances.”